Norma K Hemming Award – open call for 2016-2017 jury

The Norma K Hemming Award, under the auspices of the Australian Science Fiction Foundation, is seeking suitably qualified jurors to fill the judging panel for the 2016-2017 Award.

Please consider the position description below and submit an expression of interest in becoming a juror by email to the Award Administrator by COB Friday December 15, 2017. Be aware that no juror may enter their own work for consideration in the Awards for the duration of their tenure.

Please include a subject line “EOI: NKH Judging Panel”, and the following details in the body of the email:

Name

Postal address

Preferred email address (must be able to use to access Google docs and spreadsheets)

Australian Science Fiction Foundation Position Description

A panel of eminent individuals in the Australian speculative fiction field will be convened to judge the entries to the NKH Award.

The NKH Award Administrator will administer the Award on behalf of the ASFF Committee.

There will be two categories: One award for short fiction (up to 17,500 words) and one award for long work (novellas, novels, collections, anthologies, graphic novels and play scripts).

Term of the Judging Panel/s

Judges will be appointed for two years with no judge to serve more than four years However, if no suitable candidates come forward, then the outgoing judge may serve another term of two years.

The Administrator will oversee the recruitment of suitable Appointments to the Judging Panel will be reported to the ASFF Committee via the Committee Liaison.

It is vital that judges be able to work as part of a team and meet stringent deadlines. Most of the judges’ discussions will be conducted via an online forum or email.

The Administrator is an Executive Member of the Judging Panel. All discussions will be confidential between the Judges and the Award Administrator as required. The Administrator will have no input into these decisions unless a panel of judges is unable to reach a consensus.

Principles

The NKH Award Judging Panel is required to:

Read the annual award competition entries submitted according to the current Award Rules.

Apply the current Rules to determine a judgement/rating of the entry/ies and record these as per the designated procedure for doing so.

Liaise with other panel members regarding the entries in order to determine a winner in each category.

Notify the Administrator of final decisions via the designated procedure.

Panel sizes may vary between the two categories – and from year to year – depending on the perceived workload required and the availability of judges for a particular category. The Administrator will determine if more than one panel should be convened.

Most entries will be in a digital form; however, there may be some entries submitted as hard copy.

With the other members of the judging team, contribute to and prepare a panel report.

Any other duties which may be required.

Skills

Have a demonstrated knowledge of and interest in the speculative fiction field.

Ability to meet designated deadlines.

Ability to work remotely/distance. Must have regular, reliable access to the internet and a personal computer/appropriate device.

Access to tools that enable reading of digital book formats, eg. Kindle or iBooks.